Leer construction



Jan. 15, 1935. J. DRAKE 1,988,] 10

LEER CONSTRUCTION Filed March 25, 1954 s Sheets-Sheet 1 2/ E :1. r::: l

Znwentor (/OHN L DIP/4K5.

I attorney Jan. 15, 1935.

J. L. DRAKE LEER CONSTRUCTION Filed March 23, 1934 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Summer (JOHN L. DmKE.

J. L. DRAKE LEER CONSTRUCTION Jan. 15, 1935.

1934 :5 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed March 23,

lnventor Q/OHN L. DRAKE.

(Ittorneg Patented Jan. 15,1935 1,988,110

UNITED STATES'PATENT OFFICE LEER CONSTRUCTION John L. Drake, Toledo, Ohio, assignor to Libbey- Owens-I'ord Glass Company, Toledo, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio V Application March as, 1934, Serial No. 711,005 1'4 Claims. (01. 49-4-1 The present invention relates broadly to an- In the drawings wherein like numerals are nealing leers and more particularly to those employed to designate like parts throughout the adapted primarily for the annealing of sheet same, glass, although of course not necessarily restrict- Fig. 1 is a transverse section through an aned to such use. nealing leer constructed inaccordance with the 5 In certain types of sheet glass producing appresent invention, paratus, the sheet, after being formed, is passed Fig. 2 is a side elevation of a portion of the slowly in a generally horizontal direction leer, through a ,relatively long annealing leer in the Fig. 3 is a horizontal section taken substanform of a substantially closed tunnel-like chamtially on line 3-3 of Fig. 2, 10 her or oven. The sheet is carried through the Fig. 4 is a perspective sectional view through leer upon any suitable conveying means such as, oneside wall of the leer,

-for example, a series of spaced horizontally Fig. 5 is a vertical section taken substantially aligned driven rolls. Suitable heaters, placed on line 5-5 of Fig. 2, g

at intervals within the leer, serve to regulate Fig. 6 is a vertical section taken substantially 1 the temperature atdiflerent portions from end on line 6-6 of Fig. 2, with the casing partially to end thereof so that the sheet will be gradually broken away to show the arrangement of the cooled and tempered. insulating material at the sides of the openings,

When rolls are employed 'as the sheet con- Fig. 'l is a perspective sectional view of a moveying means, the opposite side walls of the leer difled type of casing, and I 20 are provided with openings through which the Fig. 8 is a horizontal section through a porsaid rollsare adapted to be inserted and retion of the leer of Fig. '7. moved and also through which the leer roll with reference now to the drawings and parv shafts extend; the supporting and driving means ticularly to Figs. 1 to 6 inclusive, the annealing for the said rolls being located exteriorly of and leer illustrated therein is of the so-called "tun- 25 along opposite sides of said leer. Unless these nel type including a bottom 10, side walls 11 openings at the ends of the leer rolls are suitand 12, and a top l3.- The leer is adapted to ably closed or sealed, unequal heat losses will be heated in any preferred or well known manresult therefrom which will create disturbing ner and the glass sheet 14 or other article to be temperature conditions within the leer and adannealed is carried relatively slowly there, 30

versely affect the proper annealing of the sheet. through upon a series of horizontally aligned In order to obviate these disadvantages, various rotatable rolls 15. means have been proposed for closing or sealing For the purpose of facilitating the positionthese openings, but which do not completely ing of the rolls 15 within the leer and for refulfill the desired purpose, in that with all prior moval therefrom, the opposite side walls 11 and 35 arrangements, a relatively large amount-of heat 12 are provided with opposed openings 16 and has been lost at the openings, due in a large 17 respectively through which the shafts 18 of measure to the fact that the closure means for the leer rolls 15 extend. These shafts are suitthe said openings were of such construction that ably mounted and driven by means not shown they acted as conductors to carry the heat from but which is arranged along opposite sides of 40 the interior of the leer to the exterior thereof the leer-exteriorly thereof. where it was radiated to the atmosphere. Each side wall structure 11 and 12 of the leer The primary aim and object of this invention, comprises an exterior brick wall 19 and an inner therefore, resides in the provision of an annealwall 20 preferably of fire brick, said inner and ing leer of the above general character em.- outer walls being spaced from one another and 5 bodying novel and improved means for eifechaving arranged therebetween suitable insulat- .tively closing or sealing the openings in the side ing material ;21. The top 13 of the leer is also walls of the leer at the opposite ends of the preferably insulated by inserting between the rolls which will serve to reduce to a, minimum. upper and lower layers of brick 22 and 23 reso loss of heat at these points as well as prevent spectively, suitable insulation '24. By insulating the ingress of cold air and drafts. the side walls and top of the leer in this manner,

Other objects and advantages of the invenloss of heat by radiation from the leer will be tion will become -more apparent during the materially lessened. course of the following description when taken As brought out above, it is desirable and in in connection with the accompanying drawings. factessential to the proper annealing of the glass sheet 14 or other articles being treated, that the openings .16 and 17 at opposite ends of the leer rolls be closed or sealed to prevent unequal heat losses as well as the admission of cold air and drafts. Also, that the means heretofore provided for this purpose have not proven entirely satisfactory in that, due to their particular construction and arrangement, considerable heat has been lost at the openings. It is the aim, therefore, of the present invention to provide novel and improved means not only for effectively closing the openings, but which is of such construction and arrangement as to reduce to a minimum loss of heat from the leer at these points to the end that more even and uniform temperature conditions may be maintained within the leer and, as a consequence, better annealing obtained.

In accordance with this invention, there is inserted within each of the openings 16 and 17 in the side walls 11 and 12 respectively of the leer a casing or collar 25 preferably of metal and substantially rectangular in cross section, said casing forming a lining for the said opening. The casing 25 is constructed of two parts or sections 26 and 2'7 arranged in end to end relationship with respect to one another transversely of the leer. The two casing sections 26 and 27 are, however, entirely separate from and are not adapted to contact with one another at any point. Each section of the casing preferably extends substantially one-half the length of the respective opening 16 or 17, the outer section 26 being disposed opposite the exterior wall 19 and provided at its outer end with a lateral flange 28, while the inner section 27 is disposed opposite the inner wall 20 and provided with a lateral flange 29.

The inner adjacent ends of sections 26 and 27 of casing 25 are formed with a plurality of spaced fingers which are adapted to interengage one another in non-contacting relationship. Thus, the top and bottom walls of the section 26 are provided with a plurality of spaced fiat fingers 30 and the section 27 with a plurality of similar fingers 31, the fingersof one section being received within the spaces formed between the fingers of the other section, it being noted upon reference to Figs. 3 and 4 that the fingers 30 and 31 do not contact-with one another. 7

The opposite side walls of the casing sections 26 and 27 are also provided with a plurality of interlocking fingers 32 and 33 respectively substantially similar to fingers 30 and 31 in that the fingers of one section fit between the fingers of the other section, with the two sets of fingers being spaced from one another as clearly illustrated in Figs. 1 and 4.

As best shown in Figs. 3 and 6, the insulating material disposed within the side walls of the leer between adjacent openings 16 and 17 is divided into or made up of three vertical columns or strips 34, 35 and 36 disposed side by side transversely of the leer. The fingers 32 formed on casing section 26 are provided with laterally and outwardly turned end portions 37 which are received between the central strip of insulating material 35 and the outer strip 36, while the fingers 33 carried by section 27 are also formed with laterally and outwardly turned end portions 38 received between the central strip of insulating material 35 and the other outer strip 34.

The top and bottom walls of the casing section 26 are also provided intermediate their inner and outer ends with flanges 39 received between the exterior leer wall 19 and insulation 21, while the top and bottom walls of easing section 27 are likewise provided with similar flanges 40 received between the inner leer wall 20 and insulation 21. The casings 25 of course serve to maintain the insulating material 21 in place.

I am aware of the fact that metallic casings or collars have heretofore been used in the openings in the side walls of the leer in surrounding relation to the leer roll shafts. However, in all of these instances, the casing was of a one-piece construction and extended completely through the opening so that the inner end of the said casing was exposed to the interior of the leer and the outer end thereof to the atmosphere. As a result, these casings acted as conductors to carry a large amount of heat from the interior of the leer to the exterior thereof where it was radiated to the atmosphere. In consequence, considerable heat'was lost from the leer at these points resulting in the setting up of ununiform and undesirable temperature conditions within the leer which had a detrimental effect upon the annealing operation. By the provision of the improved twopart type of casing herein provided, however, loss of heat from the leer at the leer roll openings is reduced to a minimum due to the fact that there is no direct contact between the two casing sections 26 and 27, these two sections being slightly spaced from one another. In other words, the casing section 26 exposed to the atmosphere is not connected to the casing section 27 exposed to the interior of the leer.

In practice, after the leer rolls have been properly mounted within the leer, the openings through the casings 25 are adapted to be closed or sealed and this may be effected by inserting within the said casings a plurality of fire bricks 41, and the small space left between the bricks and roll shaft may be plugged up by clay or some other suitable material 42. The bricks 41 are preferably arranged within the inner section 27 of the casing opposite the interior leer wall as shown in Fig. 1.

At any one or more desired locations along the leer, the opposed casings may be made of such size as to accommodate two leer rolls and of such construction as to provide between the openings for the roll shafts an opening through which the interior of the leer may be observed by the operator. Upon reference particularly to Figs. 2, 3 and 5, there is disclosed a double casing designated in its entirety by the numeral said casing being substantially of the same construction as the single casings 25 and comprising an outer section 26' and an inner section 27', the inner adjacent ends of said sections being formed witha plurality of spaced fingers which interengage one another in non-contacting relationship. The double casing 25' forms the lining of an opening in the leer wall and through which extends the two leer roll shafts 18' and 18" (Fig. 2).

The double casing 25 is provided intermediate its ends with two spaced vertical walls which provide therebetween an opening through which the operator can look into the leer to check the operation thereof. The vertical walls. carried by the outer casing section 26' are designated 43 43 while the vertical walls carried by inner casing section 27' are designated 4444,'the walls 43 and 44 being arranged in alignment with one from one another.

another and formed at their inner adjacent ends with a plurality of flat fingers 45 and 46 respectively (Fig. which interengage but are spaced The opening between the vertical walls 43-43; 4444 may be closed by a removable cover plate 47 having a handle 48,

attached thereto. The walls 43-43 and 44-44 define the inner walls of the openings through which the roll shafts 18 and 18" project. Each of these openings'is also adapted to be closed or sealed by a plurality of fire bricks 41 inserted therein and-the space between the bricks and roll shafts plugged up by clay or the like 42.

In Figs. 7 and 8 has been illustrated a slightly modified type of casing designated in its entirety by the numeral 49, said casing being also of two-part construction and comprising an outer section 50 and an inner section 51-. The inner adjacent ends of the top and bottom walls of the casing "sections 50 and 51 are preferably formed with substantially straight parallel edges 52 and 53 spaced slightly from one another. On the other hand, the opposite side wallsof the two casing sections are formed at their inner adjacent ends with tapered fingers 5,4 and 55 respectively, with the fingers of one section being received within the spaces between the fingers of the adjacent section. As shown, these fingers are arranged in spaced relationship and do not contact with one another.

When using this type of casing, the insulating material 21 disposed in the side walls of the leer between adjacent openings is formed in a single strip or column 56. The fingers 54 of casing section 50 are provided with laterally and outwardly turned end portions 57 which are received between the insulating material 56 and inner brick wall 20, while the fingers 55 of casing section 49 are also provided with laterally and outwardly turned end portions 58 received between the insulation 56 and exterior brick wall 19. The objects of and advantages to be gained from the use of this form of easing are substantially'the same as those ascribed to that form of the invention illustrated in Figs. 1 to 6.

It is to be understood that the form. of the invention herewith shown and described is to be taken as the preferred embodiment of the same, and that various changes in the shape,.size and arrangement of parts may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the subjoined claims.

I claim:

1. An annealing leer of the character described including a bottom, side walls, and a top, said side walls being provided with openings therein, rolls mounted within the leer for carrying the work to be annealed therethrough, with the said rolls projecting at their opposite ends through said openings, casings arranged within the openings and forming linings therefor, and

means arranged within said casings in surrounding relation to said rolls for closing the said openings, each casing being formed of a plurality of sections arranged end to end transversely of the leer, and spaced from one another.

2. An annealing leer of the character described including a bottom, side walls, and a top, said side walls being provided with openings therein, rolls mounted within the leer for carrying the work to be annealed therethrough, with the said rolls projecting at their opposite ends through said openings, metallic casings arranged within the openings and forming linings therefor, and refractory means arranged within said casings in surrounding relation to said rolls 1'01- closing the said openings, each casing being formed of a plurality of sections arranged end to end transversely of the leer and spaced from one another.

3. An annealing leer of the character described including a bottom, side walls, and a top, said side walls being provided with openings therein, rolls mounted within the leerfor carrying the work to be annealed therethrough, with the said rolls projecting at their opposite ends through said openings, casings arranged within the openings and forming linings therefor, and means ar ranged within said casings in surrounding relation to said rolls for closing the said openings, each casing being formed of a plurality of sections arranged end to end transversely of the leer and provided with portions which interengage but are spaced from one another.

4. An annealing leer of the character described including a bottom, side walls, and a top, said side walls being provided with openings therein, rolls mounted within the leer for carrying the work to be annealed therethrough, with the said rolls projecting at their opposite ends through said openings, metallic casings arranged within the openings and forming linings therefor, and refractory means arranged within said casings in surrounding relation to said rolls for closing the said openings, each casing being formed of a plurality of sections arranged end to end transversely of the leer and provided with portions which interengage but are spaced from one another.

5. An annealing leer of the character described including a bottom, sidewalls, and a top, said side walls being provided with openings therein, rolls mounted within the leer for carrying the Work to be annealed therethrough, with the said rolls projecting at their opposite ends through said openings, metallic casings arranged within the openings and forming linings therefor, and means arranged within said casings in surrounding relation to said rolls for closing the said openings, each casing being formed of a pair of sections arranged end to end transversely of the leer and provided at their inner adjacent ends with a plurality of spaced fingers, with the fingers of one section being received between the lingers of the adjacent section and spaced therefrom.

6. An annealing leer of the character described including a bottom, side walls, and a top, said side walls being provided with substantially rectangular openings therein, rolls mounted within the leer for carrying the work to be annealed therethrough, with the said rolls projecting at their opposite ends through said openings, substantially rectangular metallic casings arranged within the openings and forming linings therefor, and means arranged within said casings in surrounding relation to said rolls for closing the said openings, each casing being formed of a pair of sections arranged transversely of the leer and spaced from one another, the top, bottom, and side walls of each casing section being provided at its inner end with a plurality of spaced fingers, with the fingers of one section being received between the fingers of theadjacent section.

'7. An annealing leer of the character described including a bottom, side walls, and a top, said side walls being provided with openings therein and each side wall structure comprising inner and outer spaced walls and insulating material disposed therebetween, rolls mounted within the leer for carrying the work therethrough, with the said rolls projecting at their opposite ends through said openings, metallic casings arranged within the openings and forming linings therefor, and means arranged within said casings in surrounding relation to said rolls for closing the said openings, each casing being formed of a. plurality of sections arranged end to end transversely of the leer and spaced from one another.

8. An annealing leer of the character described including a bottom, side walls, and a top, said side walls being provided with openings therein and each side wall structure comprising inner and outer spaced walls and insulating material disposed therebetween, rolls mounted within the leer for carrying the work therethrough, with the said rolls projecting at their opposite ends through said openings, metallic casings arranged within the openings and forming linings therefor, and means arranged within said casings in surrounding relation to said rolls for closing the said openings, each casing being formed of a plurality of sections arranged end to end transversely of the leer and provided with portions which interengage but are spaced from one another.

9. An annealing leer of the character described including a bottom, side walls, and a top, said side walls being provided with openings therein and each side wall structure comprising inner and outer spaced walls and insulating material disposed therebetween, rolls mounted within the leer for carrying the work therethrough, with the said rolls projecting at their opposite ends through said openings, metallic casings arranged within the openings and forming linings therefor, and means arranged within said casings in surrounding relation to said rolls for closing the said openings, each casing being formed of a pair of sections arranged end to end transversely of the leer and provided at their inner adjacent ends with a plurality of spaced fingers, with the fingers of one section being received between the fingers of the adjacent section and spaced therefrom.

10. An annealing leer of the character described including a bottom, side walls, and a top, said side walls being provided with openings therein and each side wall structure comprising inner and outer spaced walls and insulating material disposed therebetween, rolls mounted within the leer for carrying the work therethrough, with the said rolls projecting at their opposite ends through said openings, metallic casings arranged within the openings and forming linings therefor, and means arranged within said casings in surrounding relation to said rolls for closing the said openings, each casing being formed of a pair of sections arranged end to end transversely of the leer and provided at their inner adjacent ends with a plurality of spaced fingers, with the fingers of one section being received between the fingers of the adjacent section and spaced therefrom, the fingers at the sides of the openings being provided with portions engaging the insulating material.

11. An annealing leer of the character described including a bottom, side walls, and a top, said side walls being provided with openings therein and each side wall structure comprising inner and outer spaced walls and insulating material disposed therebetween, rolls mounted within the leer for carrying the work therethrough, with the said rolls projecting at their opposite ends through said openings, substantially rectangular metallic casings arranged within the openings and forming linings therefor, and refractory means within the casings in surrounding relation to said rolls for closing the said openings, each casing being formed of two sections arranged end to end transversely of the leer and spaced from one another, the top, bottom, and side walls of each casing section being provided at its inner end with a plurality of spaced fingers, with the fingers of one section being received between the fingers of the adjacent section, and the fingers at the sides of the casing sections engaging the insulating material provided between adjacent openings.

12. An annealing leer of the character described including a bottom, side walls, and a top, said side walls being provided with openings therein and each side wall structure comprising inner and outer spaced walls and insulating material disposed therebetween, rolls mounted within the leer for carrying the work therethrough, with the said rolls projecting at their opposite ends through said openings, substantially rectangular metallic casings arranged within the openings and forming linings therefor, and refractory means within the casings in surrounding relation to said rolls for closing the said openings, the insulating material between adiacent openings consisting of three vertical strips arranged side by side transversely of the leer, each casing being formed of two sections arranged in end to end relation and provided at their inner adjacent ends with a plurality o1 fingers which interengage but are spaced from one another, the fingers at the sides of one casing section being provided with laterally turned end portions received between the central strip of insulating material and one outer strip, while the fingers at the sides of the other casing section are also provided with laterally turned end portions received between the central strip of insulating material and the other outer strip.

13. An annealing leer of the character described including a bottom, side walls, and a top, said side walls being provided with openings therein, conveying means mounted within the leer for carrying the work to be annealed therethrough, with a portion of the conveying means projecting through said openings, casings arranged within the openings and forming linings therefor, and means arranged within said casings for closing the said openings, each casing being formed of a plurality of sections arranged end. to end transversely of the leer and spaced from one another.

14. An annealing leer of the character described including a bottom, side walls, and a top, said side walls being provided with openings therein, conveying means mounted within the leer for carrying the work to be annealed therethrough, with a portion of the conveying means projecting through said openings, casings arranged within the openings and forming linings therefor, and means arranged within said casings for closing the said openings, each casing being formed oi a plurality of sections arranged end to end transversely of the leer and provided with portions which interengage but are spaced from one another.

JOHN L. DRAKE. 

